Yearly Archives: 2012
Pembroke Pines Resident Receives 9 Year Sentence for Medicare Fraud
Vanja Abreu, Ph.D. of Pembroke Pines, Florida, was sentenced to 9 years in prison, followed by 3 years of probation and ordered to pay nearly $73 million in restitution, jointly and severally with her co-defendants, for her role in a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme. In June 2012, a federal jury found Abreu guilty… Read More »
ReadyOne Industries Settles Whistleblower Case for $5 Million
Texas-based ReadyOne Industries, Inc. (“ReadyOne”), formerly known as the National Center for Employment of the Disabled, has agreed to pay $5 million to the federal government to settle allegations that it committed False Claims Act violations. The allegations were initiated in 2006 by whistleblower Michael Ahumada, a former ReadyOne employee. Ahumada filed a whistleblower… Read More »
91 Individuals in 6 States Charged with Medicare Fraud
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force has arrested 91 individuals in Florida, California, Texas, Illinois, New York and Louisiana for their alleged participation in the submission of approximately $429.2 million in false bills to Medicare. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force is a multi-agency task force of federal and state law enforcement officers that focuses on… Read More »
Government Intervenes in Qui Tam Action Against Former Department of Energy Contractor
The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that it has intervened in a whistleblower lawsuit against engineering services company CH2M Hill Hanford Group, Inc. (“CH2M”) based in Colorado. The whistleblower, Carl Schroeder, a former employee of CH2M, brought suit against CH2M in 2009 under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. According to… Read More »
Investment Fraud Prevention Seminars Being Held in Miami and other U.S. Cities
This month, numerous government agencies are teaming up to present information on how investors can protect their retirement funds and life savings. Upcoming summits being held in five cities across the country are the result of a collaborative effort by the Department of Justice, FBI, Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), Federal Trade Commission, Department… Read More »
Three Former J.P. Turner & Co. Brokers Charged With Disregarding Their Customers’ Investment Objectives and Churning
The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged 3 former brokers of Atlanta-based J.P. Turner & Co. with churning and disregarding their customers’ low-risk tolerances: Ralph Calabro, formerly employed in J.P. Turner’s branch in Parlin, New Jersey; Jason Konner, formerly employed by J.P. Turner in Brooklyn, New York and Dimitrios Koutsoubos, formerly employed in J.P…. Read More »
Florida Broker Charged with Investment Fraud and Theft
According to federal court documents, William T. Johnson, owner of Professional Planning Group (“PPG”), has been charged with stealing more than $500,000 from 13 clients between 2003 and 2011. Through PPG based in Palm Beach Gardens, Johnson offered his clients insurance and investment services such as IRAs and certificates of deposit. An information filed… Read More »
HCA Settles Whistleblower Suit Regarding Tennessee Medical Facilities For $16.5 Million
For-profit hospital chain, HCA, Inc., headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, has agreed to settle a qui tam lawsuit relating to its subsidiaries, Parkridge Medical Center (“Parkridge”) and HCA Physician Services (“Physician Services”). A qui tam action is a whistleblower lawsuit brought by an individual as a “relator” on behalf of the federal government. The settlement… Read More »
Government Decides to Join Qui Tam Action Against Florida Hospice Provider
The Department of Justice has joined in a whistleblower lawsuit against Hospice of the Comforter (“Hospice”) based in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Hospice serves terminally ill patients in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties. The whistleblower, Douglas Stone, is the former vice president of finance for Hospice. According to Stone’s qui tam complaint filed last year,… Read More »
Five Florida Residents Charged With Conducting $27.5 Million Investment Fraud
Florida residents, James Howard, III and Louis Gallo, III both from Parkland; Patricia Saa from Naples; Michael Casey, an attorney from Oakland Park; and Rita Balbirer from Pompano Beach (collectively “Defendants”) have been charged by federal prosecutors with a total of 22 criminal counts, including conspiracy, fraud and money laundering. Each fraud count carries… Read More »